The Witches of Sailsburg

Chapter One: Welcome to Sailsburg!

This was the beginning of something new, something unknown and I was ready to step into it, as it had drawn my attention towards it, I had lost myself in this sunken place of rituals and spirituality, a place, I now called "Home".

It was Spring of 2017, when me and my mom finally moved out of my dad's house and made our way towards Sailsburg for a better future. My mom and dad had been devorced for several months now, but due to no money, my mom accepted my dad's offer to stay for as long as we like. But eventually things got uncomfortable, for the three of us, as my mom had just recently met and spectacularly fallen in love with a librarian from Sailsburg and jumped to the decision to move in with him, mind you, they had just met four months ago. But my mom used her age as an excuse. "Why should I wait at my age? And besides, don't you think it would be odd for another man to show up at your dad's door step? Waiting to take me out for dinner?" She laughed. I, of course, was happy for her, but concerned at the same time. This was how she had met my dad and two weeks later called him "the love of her life". I assumed my dad was just as happy and concerned for her as I was, seeing her and I get into her Jeep, waving goodbye, while trying to sincerely smile.

We had now begun our journey towards Sailsburg, a new Life was ahead of us. My grandmother used to tell me stories of Sailsburg, about vampires and witches and centuries old war between them. Every now and then she would drop some tales of Werewolves who've kept their identity hidden as Vampires were ok the hunt for them, but I took those like a fairytale and now I was about to enter that tale. Maybe I would get to actually meet a real life vampire? I laughed in my head. "Ok ok, so, your grandma called me just a couple of hours ago, refusing to let me have you stay with me and Noah, so we agreed to have you stay at her place, which, let's be honest, isn't that great at all if you ask me. But for the time being, spend some time with her, before she make me spend time with her and then end up criticising every little bit of my life. UGH!" My mom was semi-focused on the road while trying to check her phone, if Noah, her new love of her life, had messaged her. "But what do you think of Noah?" She quickly glanced over to me then back to the road. I had one headset in my ear. "He's alright. I guess." I answered. She laughed softly. "Oh come on! He is way better than your dad. No offence. And in bed...WOW!" She laughed out loud. I cringed a little. "I didn't really need to hear that mom. "Oh come on Chira! You're too serious, like your grandma." She glanced over to me again and smiled, then looked back to the road, while dropping her phone unto her leg. "So, we are about 17 hours away from our new home." She sighed. "It's going to be a long way, so you better sleep now, cuz when I'm tired, you're taking the wheel." I looked over to her. "Why didn't we just take the plane?" I asked, looking confused. "Because! We have to save money!" She smiled and reached out for the radio and switched it on. They were playing P!nk- So what?. She turned the volume louder and began singing. ""So so what? I am a rocks tar. ..!" I put my second headset into my eyes and closed my eyes. Shortly after, I fell asleep.

I woke up to several soft tabs on my shoulder. I slowly opened my eyes and saw my mom. "Honey wake up. We're here." She smiled. I slowly looked out of te window and looked around. Is she joking? I thought. But then I saw a town sign saying "Welcome to Sailsburg" then my eyes. cleared. "Why are we just at the boarders?" I asked. "Because, I wanted to take some pictures of my home town." She turned of the car engine and got out. I followed her every step with me eyes, wondering. "Your home town?" I asked. She had reached the passenger seat, which I was sitting in and opened my door. "Come on, snap a few pics of me." She handed me her phone and walked towards the town sign. "Old memories are flooding in." She sighed. I got out of the car and went a little closer to take a picture of her. She began posing and smiled. "Which one is better?" She asked, holding up a peace sign with her left and holding her hip with her right hand. "That looks ok mom." I said and took a picture. "Can we go now?" I walked back towards the car. "Don't you want a picture too? Oh look, a pedestrian! Hello, Hey!" She walked up to a stranger. "Hi, sorry to bother you, but could you take a few pictures of me and my daughter?" I turned around to see who it was. An elderly man, yet well built, looked at my mother then glanced at me. "No, sorry." He said and kept walking. My mom turned around, disappointed. "I remembered this town to be a little more friendlier than this. Oh well. Let's go." I got into the car and so did she and we drove into Sailsburg. An hour and a half later, we arrived at my grandma's place. A little bungalow, decorated with flowers in the front yard and my grandma sitting at her front porch. My mom pressed the horn and then turned off the engine. "Here we go." She sighed and got off the car. I slowly opened the door, looking at the surrounding. "Hi mom!" My mom waved at my grandma. I accidentally slammed the car door. "Sorry."I said and walked towards my grandma. My grandma slowly stood up. "Oh dear! Welcome home!" She smiled and gave my mom and hug, then came towards me and squeezed me in her arms. "I missed you so much! How are you. You look so pale and fragile. I bet your mom doesn't feed you well." She held my hands tightly and turned around to my mom, who was already waiting for the criticism. "Whatever mom. She is not a baby anymore." She said and walked pass me to get some of my stuff out of the car. "How have you been Chira. Any changes within you or?" She looked concerned. "I'm ok grandma. I just woke up, that's why." I smiled. She still looked concerned. My mom walked pass us with two bags and entered the house. "Is anyone going to help me?" She said. She then dropped both bags in front of the door and sighed. "Come on Chira, these are your stuff." She went and sat down on the floor. "Is need to get going now mom. Let her pack out her stuff." My grandma finally let go of me and smiled. "Ok ok. Your mom is in a hurry for run into the arms of her prince charming." She laughed. I went to collect my remaining bags. My mom stayed a little then slowly began making her way to Noah. She waved us goodbye and drove off, towards the way we came from. "We live in the centre of Sailsburg huh?" I said. My grandma grabbed my hand and pulled me into the house and closed the door. "So how much did you mom tell you about who you are or might be?" My grandma sat me down and sat next to me. I was confused. "What do you mean?" She smiled. "Oh dear. With all the love she has been seeking, she couldn't seek her real self or help hee daughter. Well, I don't blame her. You two pretty much lived among the normal, as we call it." She stood up and went to the kitchen. I slowly stood up and looked around, then I stumbled across an old picture of 27 women. "Grandma, is that you?" I asked, while looking closer at the picture. "Are those your friends?" I picked up the picture and went to her. She took it out of my hand and looked at it. "Yes. I had grew up in a peaceful village." She said. "And now this place is crowded with outlaws, just because she had to form alliances with the outlaws in order to prove herself worthy of the crown." Her face was suddenly filled with anger. "Who are you talking about grandma?" I slowly asked, while trying to take the picture out of her hand. She then suddenly smiled. "Nothing my dear. Do you want some tea?" She gave the picture back and went to grab a kettle. I sat down at the dinning table and kept staring at the picture. "Which one were you grandma?" I asked. Without turning around, she said, "The one at the very right. Because, I was always right about any situation." I looked to find her and there she was. She seemed to haven't aged a day. Only her hair had turned gray and had lost some of its curls. "You haven't aged a day." I slowly slide my hands through the picture, amazed. She turned around, holding two tea cups and came to sit next to me, handing me one cup. "We were the next generation of great witches of Sailsburg." She said. I looked at her. "No one could mess with any of us. Until she betrayed us." I slowly dropped the picture. "If you were once a witch, what happened?" I asked. She smiled at me. "Who said I am no longer on? I still practice. To keep myself young and energetic." She stood up and took the picture back to its place. "Your mom chose a different route, although I tried to pound some sense into her. All the women in this picture passed their witchcraft on to their children and those passed them on to their own. But your mom....chose a mortal. Average beyond imagination. I had introduced her to a wonderful man and powerful too, but she refused to practice or involve herself with witchcraft." She sighed and turned to me. "So...I am not a witch?" I hesitated, disappointed . "Oh dear, I have no idea. Hence why I asked, if anything had change inside you." I have never seen a half breed before, which is why I refused to accept your mother's marriage to your father in yhe first place and now doubt, you are." She hesitated, but smiled.

(To be Continued...)